Feedback - Polar Bear Trips - Churchill Canada

We offer a wide range of Polar Bear Tours in 3 locations - Churchill, MB, Canada is the most popular

Here are some of the comments by previous travellers who saw the polar bears of Churchill.

Rob Taylor was a brilliant and empathetic guide. He was knowledgeable, helpful and extremely pleasant. You are very lucky to have him in your service. Glenn, the tundra vehicle driver also had a big input to making the tour "the best holiday we have ever had". Glenn drove carefully and knew just where to find the bears and other wildlife. Both Rob and Glenn were supportive to the amatuer photographers on the trip. The polar bears are superb.

Jeremy & Margaret H. UK. October 2007

We have had a fantastic holiday thank you. The most memorable part was seeing the polar bears up close and learning so much about them from the tundra guide.

Tips - wear ear plugs on the Calm Air flights to / from Churchill, as the small planes are not so well insulated. Don't worry if you are a vegetarian as you are able to get good food at the Seaport Hotel and even the packed lunches on the tundra were veggy if you asked.

Recommend the helicopter flight - it's expensive but if it's clear weather well worth it.

Throughout the trip there was great consideration and respect made about the environment by our guides and heli pilots.I'm sure the people of Churchill benefit from the tourist revenue too. They really ought to stock up on some fluffy polar bears in the shops as we couldn't get one there and I guess most of us would buy one if we could. Gap in the market for someone?
Do you do any other bear trips - brown or polar cubs or similar, or the Ice Hotel trips?

Seeing the polar bears close up was fantastic. A real experience that we both really enjoyed. It was a pity that the real keen photographers did not make room on the viewing deck for snap takers like myself to take pics until after the bears had wandered off. I think a little more supervision from the guide could have handled this. Being a small person, it was difficult to see over and the keen photographers jumped outside as soon as the buggy stopped. I could have mentioned this to the guide but didn't.

There was a shortage of toilets and showers on the tundra lodge vehicle ...... overall we enjoyed the experience.

In the Fort Garry Hotel we enjoyed excellent service. Staff was very helpful when all of the out bound flights were being
canceled due to the storm in Winnipeg. The staff at the hotel in Churchill was not always available if any problems with the rooms arose. The staff on the tundra lodge vehicles were fantastic in their attentiveness. We could have used another shower on the Tundra Lodge vehicle.

All of the meals in Churchill were good. The one that I liked least was the farewell lunch at the Arctic Inn. The Lazy Bear and Gypsy's were very good. All of the breakfasts were great. All of the drivers - especially Kelly - were informative and interesting to listen to. We learned a lot about the area and the people in Churchill. Brent our guide was very helpful and knew a lot about the area.

The hotel in Winnipeg was excellent. I didn't know what to expect as far as accommodation was concerned in Churchill, but it is difficult to follow the Hotel Fort Garry in Winnipeg. In Churchill the accommodation was basic but adequate, however it was superb at Dymond Lake.

The service from the local staff was excellent. They were extremely helpful and reassuring. Tyler, our guide was great: well-informed, friendly and skillful.

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday? - Seeing the polar bears followed by the aurora borealis.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Travel with a friend, don't expect much in Churchill, bears fantastic- take plenty of film/memory sticks and batteries, and some books to read at night
or something else to occupy your time in the evening.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized
impacts on the environment?

Well it brings money into Churchill but I am not sure how much stays there. Tundra buggies stayed on the tracks and tried to avoid any further damage
and the research seems to state that they don't bother the bears.

4. General Points that helped make the experience - The Sheraton Hotel was very close to the airport and easy to find after a long journey. The hotel staff were very friendly and helpful and overall the hotel was a higher standard than expected. The accomodation in Churchill was poor. The room was not clean, and was barely serviced during my stay. I had to ask for bedding as my bed only had a sheet and bedspread. The room was located next to the tavern which was open until 2am, and looked out onto the rear of the kitchen which came to life 5.30-5.45am- not conducive to getting much rest. The tundra vehicle was comfortable and warm and our guide was good fun and new his job well, we had entertaining days.

Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall? - Good a real experience. I will travel with Muir's Tours again.

Jakki F. Scotland

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday? - Being so close to the polar bears.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday? - Nothing - we were looked after so well, and had everything we needed. Just
go and enjoy it!

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment? - Yes. It definitely benefited the local people, and there was minimal environmental impact.

Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall? - 5 STAR - We have some stories to tell the grandchildren, I would not hesitate to recommend it.

Colin B. UK

The staff in Winnipeg were very friendly, enthusiastic & efficient and the hotel Fort Garry was great. We really did not want to leave Churchill. It was a great holiday and lots more than we ever could have expected.

The Tundra Lodge vehicle was great, bedrooms just large enough. The communal rooms were very large and very comfortable. The only improvement could be a few more bathrooms (only 3 for 28 people) which was a bit of a problem morning and evening. Could maybe add a small addition with a few bathrooms on the end of the lodge. The Tundra Lodge Staff were fantastic, they really made our stay a special one. Our guides George and Mike were great and especially Mike's enthusiasm for his subject was great to see and really enhanced what was already a very special experience for us. The food on the Tundra Lodge was exceptional, especially considering the remoteness of the location. We especially recommend the breakfasts and lunches. We will travel with Muir's Tours in the future, we have many wildlife trips in our plans.

Doreen V. UK

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If you require any reference for the Churchill set-up I would be glad to oblige. The team all did well, and I'm not the easiest to please.

Colin A. UK

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Our hotel in Winnipeg, the Sheraton Four Points was beautiful and very convenient for the overnight stop before flying to Churchill. We did not expect anything like the Sheraton Four Points to be available in Churchill, so we were not disappointed. The Lazy Bear Lodge was very rustic, but clean. Acceptable given the location. All the local staff were excellent.

The entire trip was very memorable and we would not hesitate to recommend Muir Tours and the Churchill Polar Bear tour to anyone. We met wonderful travel mates and friendly locals at the bar! We were lucky enough to witness a polar bear helicopter lift to relocate three beautiful polar bears. Our guide, Martin, was very informative, fun and succeeded in finding as many bears possible. Wonderful memory to be sitting in a Churchill bar to see OUR Chicago White Sox win the Pennant!!!!!!!! and on the walk back to our lodge to see the Northern Lights. All in all it was an incredible trip.

Peggy M. USA

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